STOMP. STOMP. STOMP. Boots make such a satisfying sound against the cold, hard, tile of school hallways, thought Arden Hix. In fact, school hallways were meant to be stomped on, according to Arden's motto: "If ya hate it, stomp the heck out of it." And she certainly hated Bay Area High. Actually, she hated almost everything. She hated the tacky falling-apart ceiling, the way-too-small doors, the super cliche motivational posters, and she especially hated the girl walking a few feet in front of her: Rose Wexler.

Rose Wexler could feel the hatred beaming down on her as she walked through the crowded halls to the science wing. It was coming from the black-clad, high-heeled-boot-sporting psychopath behind her. Rose Wexler was perfect, and she knew it. She got straight A’s, never ever disobeyed, and was always modest. On the outside. Anyway, she couldn’t understand how anyone could hate her. But of course, Arden was wacky and everybody knew it. Finally, Arden split and went to a her science teacher and Rose strolled into her classroom. Right as Rose was handed last week’s test score (a 98% and the two points lost had been for a stupid magnet problem that didn't even make sense), the teacher asked for a volunteer to take the attendance up to the office because the computer wasn’t working. As Rose was always the one to get everything in class, whether it was a role in the play or running an errand, the teacher picked her. She walked down the hallway, posture flawless, and pristine white sneakers squeaking against the tiled floor.

Surprisingly, Arden actually loved science. Real science, that is. And whatever Ms. Arons was teaching, it was certainly not science. It was more like, “Here kids, I’m going to teach you the fabulous skill of copying stuff directly from the textbook! This will really prepare you for the real world!” Well thanks Ms. Arons, but the real world sounds pretty boring if this is all it is, she thought. Anyway, Ms. Arons needed someone to take field trip slips up to the office, and since Arden never missed an opportunity to get out of that torture chamber, she volunteered.

Rose reached the elevator that lead up to the third floor and pressed the up arrow. This was the only elevator in the school and you weren't supposed to go up the stairs to get to the office. She guessed this was to keep random kids who didn't have permission from wandering up there. And then, horror of horrors, who should come stomping around the corner but Arden Hix. Rose winced and turned away as Arden pressed the button. Again. Didn't she see that Rose had already pressed it? Psycho.

Seriously? Thought Arden as she stepped into the elevator next to the bombastic Rose. She did not want to spend even a few seconds next to that goody goody two shoes. The doors closed and the elevator began to rise. Rose stood in the corner, arms crossed over her chest, wearing a look of sheer condescending pompousness. Just as she was thinking that if Rose's perfect nose got any higher it would touch the ceiling, something went really, really wrong. The elevator shuddered and then came to an abrupt halt. She reached over and jabbed the button with her thumb, but nothing happened. She then starting attacking every button on the panel, shoving three, punching two, stabbing one, but still, nothing would happen and the elevator couldn't be bothered to move its lazy self up a little farther so she could get out of there and be well on her way back to class. Wow. She couldn't remember the last time she actually wanted to get back to class.
Rose Wexler watched the girl frantically take her anger out on the buttons and decided it was time to help her out, because she obviously was not being sensible.

"That isn't doing any good, you know," she announced.

"Thanks, Captain Obvious, and what exactly do you propose we do?" Arden spat back.
"Press the emergency button," Rose replied simply. "I thought you would have to press it eventually, but ironically, that was the one you left to out of your crusade against the elevator panel. Do you know what irony is?"

"No. I was raised in a barn. Do you know what sarcasm is?"
Reluctantly, Arden pressed the button and an alarm sounded. She heard running footsteps and the school janitor yelled up to them asking if they were alright. She said that they were and he said he would try to get it going again. If he couldn't, he would have to call the fire department. God, this was going to take forever. She decided to slump down on the floor and stare defiantly at her black boots. She watched Rose from the corner of her eye pick at her pink nail polish and cross her white sneakers.

"So, why do you hate everybody?"

"What?" She hadn't expected Rose to be so blunt. They had hated each other for years but neither had never confronted the other.
"Oh, come on. You aren't exactly Señora Sunshine."
"Because the world sucks." She thought that would end the conversation, but Rose kept going.
"Yea, but you don't have to hate everything."
"What, you want me to be a preppy do-gooder like you and go around selling Girl Scout cookies? Because that isn't going to happen. I'm not going to change." The stubborn refusal tingled in her bones; it always had.

"Well maybe you should change. You can't be like this forever."
"And you can't go around telling other people what they can and can't do! Who do you think you are anyway, the Queen of Sheba?"

Rose felt like they were two magnets, opposite and repelling each other.
"You. Don't. Know me." She said this through gritted teeth.
"Do I need to? You're a snotty perfectionist who is going to grow up to work at her Daddy's company and go to PTA meetings for her perfect children."

"You're wrong! You're wrong about me, you're wrong about everything! You're always wrong! All I want — all I've ever wanted — is to be somebody and do something good that somebody will remember and get out of this town!"
There was a long silence and the only sound was Rose's breaths.

"Me too." It was almost a whisper.
All Rose could do was stare as Arden Hix met her eyes. All of a sudden, she realized why she had gotten that magnet problem wrong. It wasn't the opposite ends that repelled each other, it was the ends that were the same. Rose and Arden were exactly the same.

And then the strangest thing happened. Both of the girls started to laugh. Rose sat down and they talked about their dreams and how they had always wanted to visit New Zealand. They were still laughing and dreaming when the janitor yelled up that he had fixed the problem.
As the elevator lurched to a start, Rose said, "You know,
those boots would look adorable under this dress I have to wear for an award ceremony tonight."

"You want to switch shoes? We look about the same size."

So when the doors opened, back on the second floor, Rose stomped away in black high-heeled boots and Arden squeaked down the hall in the opposite direction in fresh white sneakers.